Animus in Reliquiae Liber
by Johnnieboy11
Summary: The fate of Beacon was to be decided during the fateful battle for the school. It was to fall... Until an unknown, outside force, came to the aid of the beleaguered defenders, like a tidal wave, sweeping aside the Grimm and Fang and halting the plans of the darkness below. This new force now faces an uneasy alliance, truces and combat on a world foreign to them, a Battle to be won.
1. Prologue:The Siege of Beacon

**_Beacon..._**

The dark clouds above the school and fairgrounds provided an ominous background to the hellish landscape that was now Warzone Beacon. The ruined dormitory building out of which Yang had just emerged was surrounded by combat. With her gauntlets extended, the girl fought Grimm wave after Grimm wave. She grunted as each shot she fired wore her down more... Right now, all that mattered was finding Blake, Weiss and Ruby and getting a coherent defense together... As she dropped a final Grimm, she took a moment to catch her breath.

She took stock. Three more belts of HE projectiles, five more of concussion/flak shells. It'd take her through at least several dozen more Grimm. Panting, the girl gazed around at the destroyed skyline of Beacon. The Tower that housed the Headmaster's office in the far back send a chill up her spine, its emerald light having died with the first strike... Her lip and hands trembled as she saw her surroundings, all the debris and destroyed buildings... Goodness gracious...

Breathing in, then exhaling, the girl straightened up and started her run through the ruined courtyard. She'd have to get to Ruby. To find her and help her. Maybe Amity... She ground to a halt as she saw them ahead... A squad of Atlesian mechs, their eyes red, some White Fang troops... And Grimm comin' in from behind... She swore to herself behind her breath, but as she heard a droning noise... Her jaw dropped...

Ahead of her, a dozen explosions kicked up dust. A line of hellfire struck the ground ahead. The Droids, Fangers and fucking Grimm were vaporized... And then the sound came. A deep, thrumming roar of a cannon that sent shivers up the young Xiao-Long's spine. As the smoke and debris cleared, she saw nothing... Physically _nothing_ remained of the targets struck by the fire... The droning noise also intensified into a roar, allowing Yang to look up at a silver-hulled, fixed-wing aircraft flying in low. Two missiles detached from its undercarriage, massive weapons, going off to a target Yang couldn't paint in her head...

She stared overhead as she saw more vehicles with rotating blades propelling them forward, clad in black and with door guns that thundered, sending scarlet tracers down range. One of said vehicles stopped above, hovered and dropped ropes in front of the stunned Huntress... Soldiers swung out from the vehicle and fast-roped down. Clad in the strangest military gear Yang had ever seen, dark-blue, digital camouflage, heavy combat vests, black rifles and full-face gas masks with black-tinted visors, linked with their helmets.

One of the soldiers appeared out of the group and ran toward Yang, rifle lowered, then gave her a once-over and asked with slight worry in his voice, but also the professional demeanor you'd find in a soldier "You okay there? That was Danger Close." And he smiled behind his mask as he saw the shocked girl nod... She looked on overhead as the bird waved off and more came in, bigger in the hold, some with two propellers...

"I'm... Okay..." Yang said, looking at him now... She shook her head, clearing her mind, then asked aloud "Who the _hell_ are you people?" almost as if out of breath. That question, among several hundred others, stood on the tip of her tongue, but right now, all that mattered to her was her teammates. The Soldier ahead of her nodded, moving his hand up to his face and unlatching the gas mask and helmet, then taking them off to reveal a handsome, pale young man with green eyes and black hair, who grinned.

"Us, darlin'? We're the Cavalry." He answered smartly.

"Lieutenant! Command's on the horn!" One of the soldiers said, appearing beside the man with a handheld phone. The Lieutenant changed his look to a stern one, taking the phone and listening in. Yang turned about as she saw more of these squadrons of soldiers rappel in from the other birds. Following said birds in were small, nimble scouts and bigger, more heavily armed and armored ones carrying actual guns and rockets.

"... Roger, command. Proceeding to Checkpoint Lima. We're Oscar Mike. Platoon 3-Charile, out." The soldier ahead of her said, before handing the comm device over and looking to Yang. She caught his gaze and blushed, swallowing as the soldier nodded to her, then asked "Hey, darlin'. Mind leading us? WE don't know the grounds of this place all that well and were hoping YOU could back us up here."

Yang nodded, then gasped as she remembered... Ruby and the girls! "Right, c'mon! We have to go!" before she started dashing forward. The Soldiers nodded to each other and all followed, mobile into combat as the other Platoons scattered to gather other survivors, wounded and such. Yang gazed about at the advancing troops as they scattered, but kept formations. Above, still more aircraft, fixed-wing and propeller-driven, flew in. Several missiles raked the skies and Yang saw Grimm Nevermores die in droves...

God, she hoped the girls were fine...

 ** _Fairgrounds._**

... Blake couldn't believe her eyes, or two pairs of ears for that matter. She looked above as a dozen dozen aircraft flew in, all bearing an incredible amount of weapons. The Grimm in their location found themselves gunned down by the attacking aircraft with autocannons and weapons the likes of which she thought she'd see only in the Atlesian Military...

She and Weiss gasped as they saw them... Massive armored vehicles, with even bigger heavy cannons, advancing ahead. Their treads ground up rocks and debris underneath as they advanced at breakneck speed, more than natural for vehicles of their seeming weight and size. A cannon let out a raucous thunder and a round blazed into a Grimm Goliath's front plate... The elephant-like creature tumbled backward from the massive impact that broke bone plate and exploded inside, then started to vanish. Three armored vehicles, with sloped turret armor, top-mounted machine guns and cannons big enough to fit a human head in, moved into the Fairgrounds.

Infantry followed quickly in pursuit, with Light Armored Vehicles and IFVs trailing. Autocannons, smaller in caliber than the tanks' thundered from the IFVs and Grimm were torn to shreds. White Fang troops that tried to engage died horrible, bloody deaths as the Infantry spotted and snapped off shots with incredible accuracy. Other Huntsmen and Huntresses within the Fairgrounds found themselves greeted by friendly infantry and vehicles the likes of which none had seen before...

Blake turned to Weiss and asked, part joyful, part shocked "Are these guys Atlas?"

"No..." Weiss answered, shocked as she saw the troops move in. Two soldiers, clad in dark-blue battle dress and with gas masks, moved up to them. They gave them once-overs, before pushing around them. Weiss and Blake stared at them as the unit moved forward, followed by sixteen more soldiers bearing similar uniforms and insignia, but different... Colored emblems on their shoulders? Red White and Blue, Red Yellow and Blue, Emerald and Red, Stars and Stripes...

"What the hell is going on, anyways?" Blake asked... She saw the tanned girl known as Arslan approach, with her team.

"It seems allies have come to aid us... I'm amazed." Arslan denoted, calm.

Weiss nodded, staring at the advancing troops with an awe she never thought she'd feel... Some soldiers, with the scarlet crosses on their shoulders, moved out of the place with stretchers, carrying Atlas troopers and Civilians. The dismounted infantry gathered civilians, Huntsmen and Huntresses up and formed a perimeter. Blake and Weiss looked to each-other, nodded, then walked forward to meet some of the soldiers, stowing their weapons on their backs. One of the Riflemen stood up to welcome them, taking off her helmet and mask to reveal a young beauty of a woman with platinum-blonde hair and scarlet eyes.

"You must be the locals known as the huntsmen." The woman observed, her thick accent akin to that of an Atlesian High Society member's. "I am Lieutenant Monika Weiss, second Battalion, _Fallschirmjager_. We are the Cavalry." She then finished, racking the bolt of her strange rifle. She looked to her squad and urged them forward, before showing the two girls to follow. As they walked deeper into the fairgrounds, the sounds of combat intensified. Machine guns, auto-cannons, infantry weapons and about everything else in this strange Army's arsenal echoed around them. Monika started explaining "We're here to aid with the situation in Vale. We saw the city light afire the moment shit hit the proverbial fan. Scout aircraft above saw the convergence of these black creatures heading for the city, falling back for the big guns to come in."

"... Who are you people?" Blake asked, raising a brow.

Monika looked to her and, with the calmest grin, answered "We're NATO. The Cavalry, _Fraulein_."

"Nato?" Weiss asked "Never heard of your people..."

"We'd have been worried if you did. We aren't from Remnant, after all." The Lieutenant noted, before raising her hand and clenching her fist. All fire in the vicinity ceased and the sound of rotors came from overhead. Massive, armored VTOL craft with silver hulls moved in, their miniguns and machine guns firing as they descended. The whale-like vehicles, which Weiss had just now heard from a soldier were called 'Pave Lows', landed. Six more squads of infantry poured out, all wearing the same uniforms as the Lieutenant and her team.

"Wait, what?!" Blake snapped, stopping in her tracks.

"Yep. We're not from your homeworld, girls. As for how we know of Vale:Radiowave interception caught the name of the city, so don't worry, we ain't some omniscient beings" The soldier said, slinging her helmet and mask back on the top of her head and racking the bolt of her rifle. "Get on the Pave Lows. We'll get everyone else out of here and move in, as per order, to secure the rest of the Fairgrounds." and Weiss looked to the girl with worry. She looked up at Amity and at the Atlas aircraft overhead, overwhelmed by Grimm, receiving reinforcements from these Nato troops' aircraft.

"Don't worry. We'll have your city secured." Monika noted, her voice now modified by her mask "Get on the birds and go!"

Blake and Weiss wanted to protest, but froze as they saw Monika swivel about, raising her rifle and, with the rest of her unit, gunning down a squad of White Fang goons just as they appeared from behind a tent. They always said 'don't question the ones with the bigger guns'. Worried, the girls walked toward the Pave Low helicopters, huddling together with other Civilians and Huntsmen and watching the birds overhead move out. Sitting down on the floor, they saw Medical Crew appearing to check on them and other civilians from the cockpit.

"You think Yang and Ruby are okay?" Weiss asked with a frown... Blake nodded and gave a weak smile, before answering "Well, they're pretty tough girls, Weiss... I'm sure they'll be fine." before they heard more aircraft, their powerful engines screaming overhead and saw two missiles detach from one of the strange birds. A pair of Nevermores were vaporized by the sudden rocket strike and the aircraft, as nimble as they were, moved away...

"Oh, they'll be fine..." Blake grinned.

 ** _Back with Yang..._**

As the Platoon advanced with Yang in the lead, the group heard combat ongoing not far from their position. Taking cover beside some rubble created by the airstrikes, Yang saw a familiar set of red hair and bronze armor rushing toward Beacon tower... She waved toward Pyrrha Nikos, the Mistrali Hoplite goddess and the redheaded girl saw her. With a gasp, she dashed with Jaune toward them... And Yang allowed herself a small smile. At least some of her friends made it.

"Pyr, Jaune... You guys have no idea how glad I am to see you!" Yang glimmered.

Pyrrha and Jaune nodded and smiled both, before Pyr saw the Soldiers beside the Blonde. They all gave nods to Pyrrha, before gasping as they heard cries for help... They raised their rifles, to gaze upon a tall, black-clad man, with a strange emblem on his jacket's left side, a Grimm mask and spiky scarlet hair, as well as a pair of horns and a... Bloody sword... He pushed down a NATO soldier who was crying for help with his heel... Then stabbed the man through the chest. Gunfire echoed and a pair of soldiers appeared in front of the White Fang officer, but his scarlet-shining blade was powered and deflecting bullets from both rifles... And with a slash, he gutted both men as if by magic...

"Motherfucker!" One of the soldiers, a girl, noted. "El-Tee! Those were Harris, Mac and Weaver! Fucker just killed them like it was nothing! And it looked like he could deflect fucking bullets!" She then yelled... Before seeing the LT already pointing an emerald laser at the man's chest and talking on com... She grinned behind her mask, looked to Yang, Pyr and Jaune and pridefully said "Watch the show, kids! Whoever that Bullfucker is, he and his antourage's 'boutta die!"

Indeed, as a squad of White Fang soldiers gathered around the bull-head boy, they scattered around the man. He seemed to be ordering them around... Yang paused as she heard the Lieutenant speak "Hammer-2-3, I have your Anvil... Hit'em whenever you feel like... And make it the Fart of Doom. Don't waste rockets on'em." before a droning noise emerged overhead... Yang looked to the man and his White Fang goons... One of the soldiers in his command pointed up, toward where the team was, but at the sky... And moments later, just as the Bull-Boy was about to look ahead... The ground thundered and shook and Beacon Tower was riddled with High-Caliber rounds.

The explosions that Yang had seen before, when the LT and his men came to rescue her... And then heard the fateful thundering **_BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT_** from above. She watched as the titanic aircraft flew in and turned away. Pyrrha's jaw dropped and Jaune barked "HOLY SHIT, WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!" looking to the soldiers... As the smoke cleared, nothing remained but impact craters in pavement... And Yang then heard the soldiers' cheers.

"FUCK YEAH, MOTHERFUCKERS! A-10 REPRESENTS! THE 'HOG IS GONNA CHOMP YOUR ASSES UP INTO DUST!" The female trooper yelled, cheerful...

"Sir, that may've just been a bit overkill..." Another soldier noted, slightly in awe.

"Overkill is when we're using rockets, trooper. The GAU is designed for use against LAVs and Infantry." The Lieutenant nodded. He stood up and helped Yang up, before noting "Hope the A10 don't give ya PTSD, sweet cheeks. Trust us, when she's on your side, she's a sweet bird to have around. Or 'Hog, depending on how you look at her." and he saw Yang grin.

"No, but I think my sister might just have a bit of a nerdout when seeing that thing in action." She smirked, then looked ahead at Beacon Tower's shaft, filled and riddled with 30mm Cannons. "And Beacon Tower may need refurbishment after it just got its shit kicked in by that." making the soldiers chuckle. The Lieutenant patted her on the shoulder, with a grin behind his gas mask.

"Yang...?" Pyrrha raised a brow, walking beside the girl with a fearful gaze. "Who are they?"

"Hell if I know, Pyr, but thank fuck they're here..." Yang chuckled, looking to the redhead and bearing a toothy grin on her soot-covered face. "Any other civvies or Faculty around we can rescue?" She then asked. Pyrrha shook her head and pointed at retreating Helicopters with civilians on them, whilst others streamed in to aid and deploy troops. The Lieutenant looked to Yang, then grinned and took his helmet off.

"You three can take the birds outta here." He calmly spoke. "We'll deal with what's left."

"Thanks, LT, for helping us... I didn't catch your name?" Yang said flirtatiously.

"Matthew Irons. Call me Matt, though." He grinned. Yang nodded.

"Well, Matt, it was nice to meet ya. I'm Yang. Thanks again for the help and, I guess, we'll see each other around." The blonde bombshell noted, then winked "Buh-Bye." and waved, before taking Vomit Boy and Pyrrha to the helicopter... A rocket strike hit the top of Beacon tower and sent glass shattering to the floor, much to their surprise, but the team was fine. Aura kept most of the damage away... And the Lieutenant felt one of his soldiers pat him on the back.

As the trio boarded a larger transport chopper, Troops greeted and checked them quickly, medical gear and the likes involved. Yang looked up at one of the Atlesian Battleships above as a pair of even stranger helicopters landed on it... She leaned her head back and collapsed into a seated position, being caught by Pyr, Jaune and a soldier aboard... She chuckled, then said "I'm fine, guys... Just amazed... Thanks for everything."

"Don't have to thank us." The Marine checking her once-over noted. "Let's go! We're loaded up!" and with that order, the bird took off... The dark clouds above Beacon cleared for now, a mountain lay undamaged and a dozen dozen dozen army units move around the city of Vale, establishing a safe zone within the confines of the city. Amity itself was now secure and under new management and most of the original attackers were either dead or fleeing... All-in-all... Not that bad of an operation... Six Fighters flew in with escort duty next to the transport choppers, heading for... Safety...


	2. Legio Patria Nostra

**_En-Route to Atlesian Battleship._**

Sixteen US Rangers, thirteen Canadian JTF-2 Operators and a Finnish sniper readied weapons, patting down their gear and racking the bolts to feet rounds in. The teams, split evenly between two MV-22A1 Osprey combat transports, watched as they approached what could very well be the most impossible sight back on earth, but incredulously real here, on Remnant. One of the Rangers eyed their Osprey's right-side gunner, manning an M134 Minigun. The gun had been continuously burping for the past several minutes.

"Christ all-fuckin'-mighty, the sky's thick with these demon-birds!" The Gunner whined as empty shells dropped from the ejection port onto the floor below with clinks. The howls and cries of said 'demon-birds', black, raven-like creatures with bone skull plates similar to the other Grimm. The other Gunner stayed silent as he too swept the sky with a continuous barrage of Minigun fire.

The sound of the birds dying was simply muffled by the hail-fire from the guns. And the screaming of missiles outside also eased off the tensions of the NATO troops present aboard the Osprey. The pilot and co-pilot cheered and the gunners, now able to cease fire, turned to the crew. The one on the right, grin on his face and eyes hidden behind his helmet's visor, said "Fuckin' A! F-18s flying in to cover our asses!"

"Get ready to land! Thirty seconds!" The Pilot called out. The troopers aboard made final checkups, loading weapons, thumbing off safeties and standing up. The team leaders all stood up and walked to the backs, by the hatches. They felt the Ospreys decelerate and lose altitude... And one of them, a Ranger captain, looked to his boys and girls and said "Alright! Once this ramp drops, you kick ass and take names! I don't care if it's some big fuck-off Grimm thing, or if it's a simple human, YOU IDENTIFY AND LIGHT THEM THE FUCK UP!"

"Hooah!" The Rangers and Canadians called, grinning as they arranged their masks and helmets.

As the back hatch popped open, the squads saw the clusterfuck of dogfights going on outside. F-18s, protecting transports and A10 Warthogs. The massive deck platform of the bird-like vessel ahead saw combat already, under the shape of a young girl with a motherfuckin' scythe fighting a man with a cane and a girl with an umbrella. Their colors, as per usual with Remnant, varied...

"ALRIGHT, LADIES AND GENTS! GO!" The Pilot gave a thumbs up as the bird landed... And the squads of soldiers streamed out onto the deck, rifles up and surrounding the fighting trio. Two technicians present with them went to the bridge of the air ship with gear quickly. Ruby gazed upon the surrounding soldiers with awe and a smile, before looking at Torchwick... Said man waved forward his adjutant, who sighed, then dashed out to make an exit.

"Woah, lil' lady! Hold it right the-" One of the soldiers started, aiming his weapon... But he soon found himself with a stab in the gut from a rapier within the Umbrella... Two of the soldiers swore, took aim and lit up the running bitch. Her associate found himself aimed at with a dozen more weapons as the second Osprey landed, with the rest of the unit mobilizing to cut off the girl.

Red smiled at the soldiers, then stowed her weapon as they walked up to her, raising her hands. She gave a nod to them and said "Your gear is awesome, you guys!" with a smile. The soldiers looked to each-other, then to the girl and some smiled behind their masks. They swiveled about toward Torchwick and surrounded the man. Without even thinking twice, one of the men in the squad sent the butt of the rifle into the ginger's head's back, knocking him out. The soldiers pinned and cuffed the man, before picking him up.

One of the soldiers turned toward Ruby and walked up to her, then asked "You friendly?"

"Yep." Ruby nodded. "Those guys did something and hacked this warship's access to the Atlas mechs on the ground, I think..." She warned, hands still raised, then asked in a friendly demeanor "Are your techs going after that?" and stared at the man. He gave a nod, then looked to see his team, with a few cuts and bruises, having apprehended the heterochromia girl. She had a 5,56 wound in her thigh and one in her shoulder and she was glaring at them, but was being hauled on two soldiers' arms toward the Osprey.

"... Wow, you took Neo out faster than my sister could." Ruby quipped. "Actually, you guys _took her down._ Sis had her butt kicked."

"Yeah, two of our guys have stab wounds where the sun don't shine." One of the soldiers hauling Neo spoke in annoyance. Ruby cringed, then sighed. She yelped, holding down her skirt as a gust of wind nearly knocked it and them over. Looking at the sky as the thundering roar of jets sounded off, she saw a perfectly aerodynamic aircraft, seemingly more futuristic and slim than anything the Atlesians had, bobbing and weaving as it dodged Nevermore quills from 3 of the demonic birds.

"Wow..." Ruby could simply utter, an ear-to-ear grin plastered on her face.

"Eagle Two-Two, watch your tail section. You've got three bogeys." One of the radiomen spoke in warning into his comms device.

The soldier that greeted Ruby said to her "We're getting you out of here." before gazing to his fellow squad leader and calling out "Stay with the Techs! We'll take the prisoners and the kid outta here!" words to which he received a thumbs up. The other squad leader rallied his troops with a circular hand motion, then showed them to follow. They moved for the Atlesian warship's bridge... And Ruby felt a hand urge her into a chopper.

The F22 Raptor pilot, callsign Eagle 2-2, or to many simply known as Eightball, meanwhile, focused hard on evading close quarters combat with half a dozen other Grimm flyers whilst she herself was being tailed by three such birds... Dumping flares to confuse them, then rolling to the left, before pulling a G-Heavy turn, the pilot went diagonally up into the sky, with the hovering birds swiveling about and firing their quills.

Thankfully, looked like the birds were really affected by Flares and chaff. No good hits were scored on the bird. One or two quills came close enough to nick paint, but Eightball knew too well how to dodge incoming projectiles. Hell, she'd been in Afghanistan during the Commie Uprisings there. Flak really wasn't something to scoff at... She growled, then spun about toward the creatures as they held position, then locked on with AIM-09 Sidewinders... The weapons cases expanded from the wings and emerged from the craft's belly. Locking onto all 3 targets, she called out "Fox-3!" before thumbing the launch button. Six Sidewinders unlatched and thundered through the sky.

Two explosions and a pair of Sidewinders following a wounded Nevermore. Now it was Eightball's turn to chase... She grinned, then revved the Vulcan mini-gun. The cover of the gun on the right side of the plane unlatched and opened. As the two missiles exploded behind the Nevermore, washing it with burning-hot shrapnel, 2-2's gun burped. A one-second burst of 20mm HE ammo gutted through the bird like it was nothing, splitting the body in half. The pilot flew her bird through the black mist of the dissipating Grimm and locked onto another pair of birds tailing two helicopters.

One of said Helicopters went down. Like the Grimm fuckers weren't bad enough... "Signal 1, Signal 2, get your birds out of the combat area! I'm about to engage the Grimm that took out 3! Eyes open, danger close!" She called out via Radio, before rolling upside down and pulling her stick back. The bird entered into a high-speed dive and the woman already had lock-on tone. "I GOT TONE! FOX-2!" She grinned, then shot. A missile decoupled and lanced toward the target, leaving a contrail of smoke from the plane to its target... And struck center-mass. The Grimm vaporized and she pulled up and away. "All clear, Signals!"

On the ground, the Romanian National Guard unit known as Signal waved at the American bird, grins on their faces. They advanced down the paths of Beacon's courtyard, to greet students fighting on the deck with an assortment of semi-SciFi weapons against Grimm and what looked to be Atlas mechs that were hacked. Surging forth, the squad of Guardsmen joined up racking the bolts of their rifles and lighting up several Grimm and Mechs...

A woman with a beret, sunglasses and a coffee-themed color palette of clothing, an orange-ish brown shirt, a pair of coffee-brown pants, combat boots, a belt of ammo and a gigantic fucking Min-Gun in her hand, appeared ahead, sending a wave of bullets down range at the advancing Grimm. She looked at the Soldiers joining up with her and her team, then asked "You boys friendly!?" with worry.

"Yep!" The squad leader answered with a quip "We're killing the things shooting at you, so I'd expect we are!"

"Well, thank God you're here!" The girl snarkily returned and grinned, burying a squadron of Mechs and several Grimm under lead. Other Huntsmen and Huntresses moved over to join them, probably part of the Coffee Gal's team. One of the team soldiers set up a SAW on a collapsed pillar that now served as cover and fired. Atlas human soldiers appeared from behind a wall, rifles in hand and joined up with the squad.

The Atlesian Sergeant present gazed upon the Romanian NATO officer, then spoke "You guys aren't part of our army!"

"Nope! We're the better variation, Snowy Boy!" The Officer grinned, settling his foot on the pillar and setting his arm on his knee for a better, more supported position as his 5,56 rifle tore into Grimm and Mechs. The Pulse Rifles of the Atlas military joined in the cadenced firing, both to and from the Mechs. The Atlas Sergeant, clad in standard red Atlas armor, fired away.

Whilst bigger and bigger Grimm and Mechs emerged, the squad was running out of ammo... But that didn't faze the NATO Lieutenant none... He grinned as the ground began to rumble behind them. And as an Atlas Paladin Mech, a big fuck-off tank of a Mech, appeared from behind the walls ahead, a cannon thundered in the far back. The round, a 120mm Armor Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot round burst through the automated machine's internals, sending it tumbling to the floor as the round itself embedded into the ground.

The Coffee Gal swiveled her head about, ceasing fire, then took her sunglasses off as she saw them... The Armored Fist of the NATO forces had come in. Six M1A2 Abrams TUSK tanks formed up. Their 50cals thundered. Unmanned CROWS systems fired, rounds ejecting on the top of the Battle Tanks. The SAW gunner to their right grinned, then stood up to his feet, shouldered his M240B and screamed at the top of his lungs " _ABRAKADABRA,_ MOTHERFUCKERS!" as he lit up the remaining Grimm, sweeping the area ahead in a 30 degree arc...

The Romanian Lieutenant chuckled at his subordinate, then nodded to Coffee Gal and her team, then showed them to move to the side. The line of armored vehicles proceeded through the center of Beacon, advancing toward the tower, where the combat was thickest. The Airspace above, or at least the Grimm in it, was starting to clear. As a multitude of assault helicopters, heavy-duty combat aircraft and the likes moved in.

"Wow..." Coffee gal noted, looking to the officer.

"Yep... I'm Marius, by the way." He nodded to the girl "You are?"

"Coco. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Marius." She smirked "You're... Not a bad shot."

"Not so bad yourself, Coco." The man tipped his helmet to the girl. "Let's move, people. Rally is within the city center. Civilians, Huntsmen, NATO and others meet there and evacuate." Before he saw a pair of soldiers dragging a battered old man, with grey hair and torn, fancy clothing, as well as a cane, toward them. He had a few minor wounds, but nothing compared to the troops on the stretchers behind him. About 20 people had been wounded or had massive burn marks across their bodies... Thank god for modern medicine, they'd be fine if they got to the Battlegroup in time.

Helicopters moved in, CAS and MEDEVAC. Just in time...

... The Vale City Center, specifically, Heroes' Square, had been militarized. Sandbags, black tents, a dozen infantry platoons and thirty-odd armored vehicles positioned themselves. A cadenced thunder of Machine Guns, Autocannons and other tools in the NATO arsenal echoed all around. Grimm, Mechs and the likes were being destroyed en-mass as their attempted advance on the FOB was ground to a bloody halt by the rockets, guns and troops of NATO.

Milling about the sky, half a dozen Apache attack helicopters followed six Chinooks into Beacon's airspace. F/A-18 Hornets had swept the skies clear, as did the F-22s in and above. Civilians streamed in from the buildings of Vale and scouting teams went out and came back just as frequently as the tanks and troops that had been wounded or damaged.

Sitting in the command tent, farthest away from the combat, a council of five generals(Engineers, Air Force, Army, Marines and Special Forces, specifically) all of differing nations in NATO, discussed further deployment into Vale's other territories. General Glenn Meyer, a German-born American and a two-star, stared over at the map of Remnant and, more specifically, Vale itself, provided by a local. The brunt of the Battle Group was in the Gulf of Vale, with several assets around the isle of Patch. Their main Supercarrier was just off the coast and two battleships bearing the newest armament available to the Navy, the XM-2000 Railgun Mark 1, in two-barrel turrets, were close enough to hammer the shit out of any target needed all the way to Vale's mountain range.

Half of Vale, including the Industrial, Port and Commercial district were secured. The river leading up to Vale's center-most areas was a contested zone between PT Boats and Corvettes, going against Grimm Flyers and ground forces, as well as what seemed to be an entire White Fang contingent armed with rockets. The western regions were secured, the eastern required a good napalm drop.

"Sirs." One of the Corporals said, saluting. Meyer and the other Generals looked up to the soldier as she nodded, then spoke "General Ironwood, Atlas High-Com, has met with one of our units and is here now. He wishes to speak to us. You specifically." and she stood there, arranging her gear. The Generals all gave successive nods, then Meyer spoke too "Bring him in, Corporal."

A figure, clad in the starkly white Atlesian military uniform, marched in. His revolver was stowed away by his hip, under his coat. And following him, a gruff-looking middle-aged man and a beauty of a middle-aged woman. The crew-cut, greying hair of Ironwood, as well as the patch above his right brow, gave off his rank and age, as well as the experience of the man. But even he seemed to tremble at the sight of over five Generals, all bearing different pins and insignia and all assigned to a Branch.

"General James Ironwood, I presume." Meyer spoke with a modicum of respect. "Atlas High Commander."

Ironwood nodded "Yes... How did you...?"

"Our Technicians, after securing it, have hacked into the CCT's Remnant Internet Access. A lot of info on your planet, General." The Female General in charge with the special forces spoke up, not even lifting her gaze from the map. She was one of a kind among them, the only female. James gave a nod and swallowed... If even the god-damned women frightened an Atlesian Veteran and general, something was wrong with this army.

"What is it you wanted to talk to us about, General?" Meyer inquired, seemingly impatient.

"I wanted to ask about you all... What the _hell_ are you?" He spoke. Meyer raised a brow and the female General looked up, her scarlet eyes seemingly boring into the 3 present elite hunters before her. She scrutinized them, from head to toe, then straightened up and crossed her arms, her expression unchanged. She didn't show the least bit of concern or emotion.

"Us, General Ironwood?" She asked, stepping away from the table, before walking face to face with the man that was a forehead above her and looking up. She then spoke again, sending a chill up the man's spine, as well as the other two, who hadn't spoken a word "We are the armed forces of a world that has not dealt with Grimm, but with its own internal strife against our own kin. An Army, Navy and Air Force no man should ever wish as an enemy. We are the Wolfpack preying upon the vilest of foes... We are the military arm of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the most numerous and well-armed force currently on your home planet and as much as you or your higher-ups in Atlas may dislike the idea, our forces are here to stay. Any questions?"

James took pause... Staring at the General before him with a sense of awe, a combination of fear and respect, but as well of anger. He sighed, then shook his head. The General gave a nod, then regarded the giggling middle-aged man in the back, who bore a grin on his face and the blonde woman trying to shield a smile with her hand. She nodded to them, then returned to the table and said "If that is all, General... You may leave whenever you please. We've a counteroffensive to begin."

... With no other choice at this point... James Ironwood left to rally what was left of his troops.


	3. Fortiores Una

**_Plains of the Agricultural District._**

The German 7th Panzer Division 'Erwin Rommel' surged forth through the corn rows and wheat fields of Vale's agricultural district, manning heavily modified Kampf Panzer 2A5s, the famed _Leopards_. Above them, a dozen choppers flew in low, guns blazing as they swept the fields ahead clean of smaller Grimm critters. MG3s mounted on the tops of the Leopards rattled incessantly, a sound like tearing paper with a chainsaw.

Manning the MGs, troopers of the German _Bundeswehr_ Kept their eyes down the weapons' iron sights, sweeping away whatever Grimm movement they saw between the stalks of the cereals with extreme prejudice. Aboard the Lead Tank of the formation that was nicknamed _Ghost-1_ , Lieutenant-Commander Hermann Voss, a young, black-haired, brown-eyed man donning the Bundeswehr's tanker uniform, gazed through his binoculars. Locking eyes with what looked like a set of buildings that led into the main city, the man took out his radio, then spoke calmly "This is Ghost-1 Lead to all Ghost Elements. We are preparing to enter the city." before gazing to his left, to see Bradley APCs forming up with their unit. He grinned, then continued "Armored Corps has been kind enough to send us Bradleys with _Sturmtruppen_ as cover."

Helicopter-mounted HYDRA rockets created a tidal wave of fire up ahead. As the tanks formed a line to enter the city's outskirts, with the Bradleys readying to deploy infantry, the area ahead was meticulously swept clear of rubble and possible Grimm by the HE Rockets. The 7th's objective:Taking the pressure off of the beleaguered assault boats and corvettes in Vale River.

Diving back into the armored turret of his tank, Voss took his position near the radio, whilst the gunner and loader readied to engage any bigger Grimm that may come in greeting. Through cameras and optics, they saw the Helicopters going to town on the smaller Grimm, their miniguns constantly raining lead. The German took out his com device, switched it to High-Command's frequency, then said "Quiver, this is Ghost Lead. Be advised:We are entering our assigned grid area. Send traffic, over."

" _Ghost Lead. Quiver here. Watch out for Civilians in that area. Evac birds and infantry units have not managed to enter it. Secondary objective is to form a defensible position for evacuation._ " Meyer's voice came over the radio " _Otherwise, engage as you see fit. Quiver out."_ The transmission cut. Voss gave a nod to his men, then switched radio to the frequency of his Division and warned about the Civilians.

A tank's main gun ahead thundered. Looking through his periscope, Voss saw the disappearing corpse of a Grimm Goliath. The elephant-looking tanks of the Grimm family. An apology in German and replies of cheer from the other tank crew made Voss remember he was still with humans, not Atlas mechs or some shit. Those things would be run over on sight.

As the Bradleys entered the streets of Vale alongside the column of Panzers, the back hatches dropped and soldiers hauling XM-8 rifles surged out of the vehicles, wearing similar uniforms in style to those worn by the rest of the army, but with black camouflage. Forming up into their selected squads, the soldiers moved on the sidewalks, escorting the tanks and scanning roofs, windows and even destroyed storefronts.

"Rolling Thunder, boys!" The Storm Trooper platoon leader grinned as he gazed down the XM-8's scope. The Battle Rifle variant of the weapon chambered in 5,56 cracked. Lead gutted through a Grimm Creep, making its corpse dissipate under fire. The tanks split up with their separate infantry platoons, into the bigger area of the District. Overhead, Apaches had joined the line of light, scouting and transport helicopters deployed to assist the armored formation.

" _GHOST Lead, this is REAPER-2-1. I'm your assigned air cover, out."_ Spoke the pilot of an Apache as she flew in low, her forward-mounted 30mm Chaingun spewing lead down the throats of more Grimm. Gunfire echoed around as the Riflemen of the Shock Troopers lit up the walls of the houses. Apparently, the White Fang had gathered some level of backup from their other branches... Still not enough to hold the Hammer of NATO Back.

"Roger that, Reaper. Glad to have you on station. Spot targets, main guns are hot and waiting to spew lead, out." The officer spoke as they advanced, surging further into the city and faster than expected. Fast enough, they caught a Battalion of Paratroopers fighting off a horde of Grimm and some of the corrupted mechs. The infantry poured in to aid the battalion whilst the tanks split up evenly to cover each avenue of approach, including rearguard.

 _Meanwhile..._

The CP of the NATO forces had been getting more and more choppers to head for the docks. As well as several new vehicles coming over right from Beacon itself. An F/A-18 flew in low, dropping Napalm on an area filled to the brim with the creatures of Grimm, but no civilians or NATO personnel. The fires crackled and burned, scarlet scars across Vale's already battered corpse.

Infantrymen in armored vehicles rolled in and out, hauling Civilians aboard their damaged trucks and transports while their 50 cal machine guns let out a constant stream of fire. NATO Marines in buildings provided spotting and cover fire for retreating foot soldiers, while also giving targets to the birds currently orbiting the flight zone of NATO's operational objectives.

" _Grid Papa-5-1, you got your shot. Iowa confirms incoming rounds at Papa-5-1. Cover your ears, gents_." General Ironwood heard a Marine's radio sputter beside him. The Infantryman was assigned to safeguard him, but the man seemed to be enjoying the Fireworks laid down by his comrades and fellow support groups. Above them, a scarlet-shining pair of projectiles shined as it traveled at an almost incredible speed... It slammed into the floor about 50 kilometers inside Vale and all the way out here, Ironwood felt the ground shake and crack...

"Good God..." Ironwood muttered...

"Yep... Rail Guns." Chuckled the Marine, staring down his binoculars still. He then spoke into his radio "All FOB Defenses, be advised:multiple tiny Grimm approaching from Grid Alpha-0-2... Eyes wide, boys and girls."

" _Copy that, Observation Post Bravo. Guns are spinning."_ One of the Little Bird pilots noted as his vehicle flew into view. The mini guns on the bird spun and burped. Several small Grimm fell, gutted by the barrage of rounds, while two APCs, the Bradleys, moved in, their 30mm cannons roaring. A TOW Missile was launched at a bigger Grimm as it approached and the creature vaporized from the tandem warhead.

"Rolling thunder." The Marine spoke calmly. "Rolling Thunder." and he took pause, glaring down the binoculars at an escaping wing of Bullheads bearing the marks of the White Fang... He grinned, then took his Radio out and spoke again "Attention:White Fang birds escaping from target area. Request Raptors to strike, over." before grinning as he heard the Jets drone in the background...

General Ironwood felt a tinge of shock as he saw a set of missiles strike from off-target. The detonation of the rockets sent the husks of the birds, aflame and to the ground, before the two F22 Raptors flew overhead at high speed, before turning to engage a squadron of Grimm birds not too far ahead. The Marine gave a silent cheer to the pilots and said "Good shot, boys and girls... Birds are down."

"So... Soldier..." The General raised a brow...

"Aye?" The Marine answered, lowering his binoculars.

"Is... This your most advanced technology currently?" He asked, worried of the answer that was to come.

"No, sir. This is our oldest shit, in fact." The Marine noted, grinning. "They saw fit to send us with the shittiest gear to Remnant. We're fighting a big War back home." He then responded, gazing back through the binoculars. Ironwood froze, eyes darting around the front line as NATO Forces swept over the target area with ease. The Marine spoke calmly as he went back to spotting "Go talk to the Generals about this stuff, sir. They'll explain it better than me, a lowly grunt." And he chuckled...

General Ironwood walked down from the spotter's perch, noticing a few Marines and Infantrymen looking at their wrists... Holographic displays appeared in front of their eyes and the General could swear he saw Heads-Up Displays in some of their helmets... He walked through, on and out of the Outpost into an alley and back to the main camp, where several helicopters approached, moving in for Landing. The birds touched down and out piled Infantrymen with wounded on stretchers and what seemed to be the children of Beacon.

"... Mass Drivers lighting up the target! Get those Railguns firing and clear us a path across the MSR!" Called out a Marine on the Radio of the helicopter. "Copy, I'll have someone tell the Generals HOTEL OSCAR has been recovered." before looking back into the bird's hold and waving back Marine inside. The soldier marched out and rushed toward the CP tent...

"General!" The man heard a young girl's voice call out to him. He spun about and saw Weiss Schnee and her teammates, smiling as they too gazed upon the man.

"Sir, it's good to see you." Yang nodded, grinning "These guys friends of yours?"

"... You could say that, miss." The General offered, before looking at Weiss "I'm glad to see you all alive and well. But the situation developed about as surprisingly as it could have. The commanders of this force... NATO, they call themselves. I was gonna go talk to them in their Command Post... One of theirs told me this isn't their best technology. Apparently it's their older weapons."

"Jeez, really?" Yang wondered, while Ruby already started to drool at the possibility of NATO's newer weapons. The blonde brawler crossed her arms and noted "If this is their weakest tech, what the heck kind of technology are they using for their own wars? And why not put it down on Remnant?" before she saw one of the Marines move out as six new aircraft flew overhead. Another set of F-18s, dropping Napalm on a target.

"You have a point, miss Xiao-Long..." The man noted. "But I dread to think why they didn't deploy it so far..."

As they regarded the skyline, they saw in the distance the silhouettes of massive warships, not too far from the main shore of Vale. Somewhere around the middle of the Gulf. Their guns lit the sky and burning-hot projectiles arched above them, in the heavens, striking a target that god only knew how they reached. Evacuation helicopters flew out of and into Vale itself and some even left for the seas.

One of the Generals... Meyer... Emerged out of the tent and looked to Ironwood, before he said "General, you and these children will be sent aboard the USS _Enterprise._ A Carrier of ours, under escort, to meet with the higher echelons of NATO's Command. I and my compatriots shall remain here to secure the city in itself." before waving a lightly-armored chopper above to land. It had the markings of a Warship... And as it touched down, he waved them aboard, bidding goodbye... As the Hunters boarded the vehicle and it took off, they took one last look at Vale and the advancing tidal wave of NATO's armed forces... Before gazing forth into the gulf.

The Warships present fired their main guns, making the entire area around them shake and shudder... The warships were massive, sleek-looking and futuristic, with rail guns powerful enough to punch through what looked like even hard, reinforced concrete... And as the bird they were on met with other air vehicles, they flew into the cloudless, moonlit sky...

"Jeez, look at the size of those girls..." Yang smirked.

"Those are massive... What are they?" Weiss wondered aloud.

"Clearly, some of their more advanced warships." Blake gave a nod.

"So cool!" Ruby squeaked, staring at the moving fortresses on sea.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, aboard Air _Big E._ Please, be safe and seated. To your right, you have just seen the sisters of the Iowa 2-Class Warships. _Iowa_ and _Missouri._ Our most advanced Battleships to date and the first two of their kind ever built, with Big I being the namesake of the Class. If you will now direct your attention ahead... You shall see Battlegroup _Infinity._ "

The entire Huntsman contingent present aboard the choppers all cocked their gazes forward... To the sight of a joint battlegroup of at least one hundred warships. Six ships resided in the middle, flat-topped and with landing pads for aircraft bearing VTOL capabilities. Fighters and Bombers launched from them at full speed... And the one in the middle was even bigger than the Iowa sisters... Surrounding them was a slew of smaller support craft, some bearing as many guns as the Iowas, others, less so. Smaller landing ships also were present and possibly at least a thousand small PT Boats... And if their eyes weren't deceiving them... Submarine craft milled about underwater, protecting the six carriers in the middle.

"Oh, my goodness..." The General noted, eyes wide.

" _Infinity,_ this is SEAGULL-4-9, requesting permission to land. Secured HVI aboard, Vermillion clearance." The Radio Operator of the chopper spoke as they moved in for landing. "Copy that, Landing Platform 3A, on the move. Thank you, ATC. SEAGULL out." He smirked as they moved the aircraft over yonder to land on one of the landing pads. It was a _massive_ ship...


	4. Carpe Diem

**_USS_ Enterprise. CVN-100.**

... As the survivors, Civilians and Huntsmen alike, went into triage aboard the Naval Vessel known as the _Enterprise_ , General Ironwood was the first to spot multiple medals etched into the armored conning tower of the warship... As well as the ID Number CVN-100. Marching from the deck were possible flight crew, wearing emerald-green, deep-yellow and dark-red jackets, with the writing of their differing jobs on their backs. Marines clad in medical gear also dashed to the top with Stretchers and picked up wounded Civilians. The ship must've had at least ONE kilometer width...

"Damn..." Yang said as he saw the aircraft situated further back. F-18 Fighters, A-10A1 Warthogs, Ospreys and about a dozen more Naval Fighters Yang couldn't name. Six fighters taxied to the front launch stations and panels extended. Jet-engine deflectors, possibly... Yang gasped as she saw the multicolored crews make their checkups on the aircraft, at least one of each one the birds. As the checkup completed, the one clad in a black jacket gave a thumbs up, then the yellow ones took position in front of the aircraft and made several hand signals... Before kneeling and pointing forward... The aircraft's engines thundered and roared... Then they burst off the deck at high speed. And Yang had just now noticed they were loaded for combat.

A Medical crew, followed by a woman clad in a white uniform, with a dozen medals, appeared to greet the girls and General. She saluted, to which Ironwood saluted back, then took off her cap, to reveal grey hair. She gave a nod to the girls, then said "General Ironwood, I presume..." in an accent he couldn't pin. The woman calmly continued, though "I am Fleet Admiral Annette Mercier, commander over all forces currently located on your world. Welcome aboard Battlegroup _Infinity._ Our little excursion into Remnant."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Fleet Admiral." The General gave a nod... The woman's greying hair was only accented by her deep teal eyes staring at him with a more friendly demeanor than the Generals on ground... Guess they didn't like a Navy kid looking over them. The woman gave a half-smile, then said "Do not worry, General. While I may be considered commander-in-chief on Remnant, I let the Generals of the different Corps units run their jobs the way they see fit. I'm only here to mediate."

She looked toward one of the Medics, who was checking the huntresses recovered, then said "Corporal, if you'd be so kind to escort the Huntsmen, Huntresses and General to the Holoconference Room, so we may begin our briefing." to which the soldier saluted wordlessly, urging those present to follow him... Filing neatly into the halls of the Warship, which were tight spaces filled with tubes, metal railings and light beams, as well as Crew and Marines walking around, the Huntsmen and Huntresses of Beacon spoke calmly to each-other.

"What do you think of them so far?" Ruby whispered back, smiling.

"Seem pretty cool to me." Yang gave a toothy grin to her sister, sitting farthest back in the team row. Blake gave a nod and said "I agree... They welcomed us nicely aboard their... Massive warship." and Weiss also returned a calm half-nod to her team leader, regarding the Infantrymen escorting them and the Admiral. Taking a turn to the right, they lined up in a massive briefing Hall that went two levels down and had about two hundred seats lined in rows, one above the other. More than enough to seat the personnel of the ship's Deck 01 and the Huntsmen and Huntresses.

Finding their seats beside team JNPR, of which Nora greeted them most cheerfully, team RWBY took their positions and watched as other Beacon trainees and even teachers filed out in order, finding their seats. Team CFVY looked to RWBY and Coco grinned and nodded to Ruby, who waved back, smiling. She then looked ahead as the Admiral took her place on the stage. The kind old lady took her peaked cap off, setting it on the small desk in front of her, before arranging a wire microphone and tapping into it.

"What do you think this briefing will be about?" Jaune asked Ruby.

"I don't know... Probably why they're here? Who they are and such?" Ruby offered in whisper... The Admiral cleared her throat as General Ironwood took his seat up front, then started speaking calmly "Welcome, welcome, people of Remnant! Worry not, we come... Mostly in peace!" and getting a few chuckles out of the crowd. The Admiral smiled, then said "I am Admiral Mercier, Commander-in-Chief of NATO's Remnant expedition and Battlegroup _Infinity._ You people must be wondering who we are... And frankly, we wouldn't blame you. A foreign politico-military entity arrived on your world, gunned down a load of vile monsters and terrorists, but by all means, let us question why they're here."

"Hehe." Yang smirked "I like her."

"Well, let me put it bluntly, children of Remnant... We're pretty much what amounts to your first contact with an alien civilization." And she took a pause to let people gasp... Then continued "NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is the Peacekeeping faction that works in the Western Hemisphere of our planet. We tried our damnedest to keep the peace, but we failed... Humanity on Earth, our home planet, has started running out of resources. Without resources, humans become dangerous... To provide for our children, we take from others... Well, that is what happened to us. A 2D Display of Earth, if you may!"

She spoke to one of the engineers out back... On the metal wall behind her, a dark-blue map with determined borders flashed. Bottom-right, it was written ' _Standard Year:2040 AD, 4th of February'_. The Admiral looked over the map as the world... Split in two quite literally down the middle, with several countries in the West taking up the color azure, while in the east, many major nations took a deep scarlet hue. NATO's emblem of the Globe flashed west, in the center of a massive, continent-spanning western country. In the East, a yellow Hammer, Sickle and Cog sat in the middle of 13 golden Stars...

"Humanity was split into two major factions, which are currently at war back on our home..." The Admiral pointed on the map utilizing a baton. "To the west, we have us. NATO. Represented by Mid-Eastern, Western and North-Western Europe and Africa, as well as the Americas. To the East... We have the Pan-Asian Coalition, or PAC. Present in most of Asia and Oceania. Our last two Bastions there are Japan" She pointed at a small archipelago of Isles just over a small channel from the PAC's main base, China "and Australia..." She then pointed at another continent-spanning nation below the isles and continued "Both of which are under constant attack. Them and Central Europe are always the hotspots of our war against the PAC. This is our Third Great War. Our World War 3... A conflict erupted not because of territory, not because of ideology... But because our children are starving, our industries, dying and our countries, ablaze."

"God..." Yang murmured.

"I wonder for how long their war's been going on for..." Nora spoke, staring at the map.

She took a solemn look as she spoke the last part. "But, a ray of hope came in the form of a Project which we are allowed to reveal to you today... Project M. To us, it is known as the Multiverse theory... And thanks to some very brave scientific minds, it seems to have been proven." And then she smiled "Remnant is not our land and we want to avoid bringing our War to you... But we also want you to understand, we need the untapped resources you have here to win it... While I feel as if I'm offering you a false choice and pointing a barrel at the back of your heads... Be assured, while we are not saints, the PAC would not even ask for your opinion. Russians, Chinese and Koreans don't take to kindly to being refused. We wouldn't give up our eastern allies, because NATO doesn't leave its allies. That's how the war began, because we didn't forego core nations for their own profits."

Everyone looked at each-other. Whispers erupted in the hall and Ironwood realized this transmission was also patched into the CCT, as his scroll played it. He looked down at it, then at the Admiral as she continued to speak "We wish for an alliance, not for war... Remnant has no place in war. Not with the Grimm... But what we ask you is that, whatever resources we find outside your Kingdoms' borders, we're allowed to keep for our war effort. We will repay you by freeing more land to control... By eliminating Grimm... We offer a trade. We will send representatives to each of your Kingdoms... And we will retake Vale from the Grimm. Any questions?"

General Ironwood raised his hand...

"Ah, yes, General Ironwood. Do go ahead." The woman offered.

"Admiral, with all the pleasantries involved in political discourse, I'd like to ask... One of your soldiers told me this is not your most advanced technology... If these items, these aircraft, carriers, warships and weapons are not your most advanced... What is?" The General offered and team RWBY and JNPR raised brows... The Admiral smiled, then nodded.

"Good question, General... If you'd please display File 7-0-3... Declassify the current NATO Arsenal now..." The woman spoke calmly to what appeared next to her out of thin air. A holographic projection of a human being. A Female with dark-blue hair and mechanical, teal eyes, as well as a US Navy uniform. She nodded, then flashed an image on-screen... A set of them...

Mechanized combat units appeared on-screen. Combat mechs similar to the Paladins, but more heavily armed and armored. Quad cannons, missile pods, anti-air flares... Even prototype Hardlight shielding and smaller CIWS, usually destined for ships. Radar arrays, fully mobile joints, jump packs... Magnetic handheld infantry weapons, light, yet powerful armors for the ground troops. Tread-going vehicles with Point-Defense Lasers and magnetic cannons and another set of heavy-duty Mechs... The names of the mechs and the two types, one more humanoid than the other, flashed on-screen. YMIR and THOR... One was a combat mech with quad cannons. The other was a Combat Mech with more concealed weaponry and more resembling of a human.

That spurred conversation among the Remnantfolk quite suddenly, with Ruby cheering on in the background at the sight of Earth's weapons. The Admiral smiled quaintly, then said "This is but a fraction of NATO's arsenal! What we've built to break the Stalemate will make even Remnant's best gunsmiths question the very existence of our world! But so far, our old guns have done the job. So, people of Remnant! We will deploy representatives. If you will accept them within your kingdoms, we will gladly speak about alliances, about rearmament... And about dealing with the Grimm. Battlegroup Infinity signs off... A good day and rest well. We shall talk more tomorrow... DISMISSED!"

And with that, people scattered out of the room... General Ironwood walked to the Admiral and spoke to her about arranging transport for Atlas with the NATO Rep destined for it... And perhaps opening up an Embassy. The woman seemed jovial as she gave reassurances that will happen. She even had the holographic person next to her phone in for a dropship to be ready... All while Team RWBY watched from a distance.

"Mechs, armored vehicles, ships and aircraft that outdo ours by at least a good few decades... And that was only the surface of their technological edge." Weiss muttered "These people have been at war for what I will assume is years since their resources are going dry... And they need us to provide them more." She then looked to her teammates "Doesn't it seem weird? Or a bit convenient they dropped when they did?"

"I'd not look a gift horse in the mouth." Blake Offered. "They saved us, after all... If it was all for PR, I can understand..."

"Plus, they mentioned they want resources outside of our kingdoms' borders' control." Yang smirked "Can't mean they'll be taking much Dust, then."

"I hope you're right, Yang." Weiss murmured...

"Oh, she is..." The girls heard a woman's voice behind them. They jumped out of their skins due to fright and screamed, swiveling about as they saw the holographic woman standing behind them with a smile. She waved and said "Greetings, Remnantfolk. I'm Lana." calmly, hands behind her back and smiling still. The girls, still shocked by the sudden teleportation of the woman, stared at her with surprise...

"Hi, Lana..." Ruby said. "Could you not do that, please?"

"Oh, forgive me if I frightened you." The girl noted. "Us, AI, do not have much in the way of interpersonal knowledge. My deepest apologies. But I simply came to observe you, ladies. Your color palette is so distinguishable from the rest of those here, I just had to." she then explained as team RWBY exchanged glances. Ruby squinted at the girl, then took a moment...

And realized "AI... You're an Artificial Intelligence!" She squeaked joyfully...

"Yes, yes..." The AI said proudly, taking a smug stance. "I'm among one of the first in NATO's project VANGUARD. You girls seem concerned over the fact NATO is doing this only for resources. Yes, we require the resources, but rest assured we also wish to keep as much of the human and Faunus population of Remnant alive... Allow them to thrive outside their kingdoms' walls. Men and women are working to find the source of the Grimm infestation. And once it is found, we will exterminate it at its core."

Yang leaned a hand on her hip and said "You guys would do that for us?"

"Anything for our new allies." Lana nodded, smiling. "Also, a side piece of info I must tell to all Huntsmen and Huntresses, if you desire to join NATO, there are Terminals all across the _Enterprise_ where you can sign up... Trust us, we could use all the Manpower we can get, especially since you girls know Remnant and seem to also know your way around weapons. It is not obligatory, but it would much aid our War Effort..."

Team RWBY glanced at each-other, then to Lana, who tilted her head and said "I'm sorry, but I must go for now. The Admiral requires my presence. Do think it over, girls... I, at least, would much appreciate it. And I'm sure your families would too... Good day." before she dematerialized. The girls took a moment to think it over... Yang smirked, then said "I don't know about you, girls, but I'm all for it."

"Yang, what!?" Weiss barked "We're not meant to be soldiers!"

"No, no, I know, but listen to me..." Yang started, catching her team's and team JNPR's gazes as she spoke "There's a lot of great advantages to this. One:We get to fight alongside new people who don't even use Aura, but can still kick insurmountable amounts of ass due to their well-coordinated military. Two:We can learn new combat techniques and get specialized into roles pretty easily, considering our training."

"Which is basic at most." Weiss sighed.

"Inside the schools, yes, but we can get better with NATO. And three:It's accessible. I highly doubt Beacon's gonna let us in until they rebuild it fully. And we need to finish our training somehow." Yang explained calmly. "I vote we go for the NATO training regimen! And sprinkle in a bit of ol' Beacon training to help the boys and girls of NATO learn how to fight like us. Mix our fighting styles and I don't think even the Grimm or those PAC bastards are up to face us!"

"It... Does seem efficient." Blake offered, calling back to one of their first days in Beacon.

"Yeah, so come on! We can do this! We can get pretty cool upgrades for our gear in the meanwhile, too!" Yang spoke, smiling...

Weiss sighed, then looked to Ruby and asked "What do you think, Ruby? You're lead... You've got final call here." which garnered everyone else's attention to her. Ruby took a moment, gazing at both Yang and Weiss with worry... She sighed, then looked to Yang and asked "Sis... What if they make us fight those PAC guys? Do you wanna have to kill people?"

"I think it's a Remnant-only operation." Pyrrha said, garnering attention to her. "I mean, Lana did mention that they'll need us here for the op and to guide them around... I doubt we will see combat on Earth..." She then offered her take. Ruby gave Pyrrha a half-smile, while looking at the others... Nora had a wide grin, cracking her knuckles and Ren seemed calm. Jaune shrugged, smiling awkwardly...

"... You know what? If push comes to shove, we can probably ask them not to deploy us against any PAC units... If they don't agree... We'll figure it out. Like we always do." Little Red smiled. "So let's go find ourselves a signup terminal and head on out there." she then pumped her fist up... The rest of the team cheered and Weiss sighed. She too smiled, then gave a nod to Ruby. The two teams filed out of the conference hall and went out to find their Terminal...


End file.
